Blocks in the attic - are you sitting under a hidden Lego fortune?

Diane King

Could your kids be playing with a hidden fortune? According to new data, households across the UK could contain more than £50 million worth of highly-collectable LEGO.

The iconic building block toy has seen an average year-on-year increase of 12 per cent in value since the millennium, according to Zapper.co.uk.

That’s a better return than you’d get with gold, say the tech trade-in company, who in 2017 have traded tens of thousands in LEGO already.

However, they estimate that a potential £54m fortune – based on average LEGO trade-in prices – is sitting in attics, disused toy boxes and cupboards across the UK.

In total there are around 48 million pieces in the UK - enough to build a life-size replica of Buckingham Palace (and even a little Royal Family to sit inside).

The company say that loose LEGO still holds value and can be a great money maker for enthusiasts. However, it’s the rare and collectable items which are causing the spike in value, with some figurines and sets are selling for staggering amounts.

Patrick Neill, CEO of Zapper, commented: “There’s more than 48 million pieces of LEGO in the UK, which means the potential for re-sale is huge. If the whole of the UK were to cash in on their collections, it would mean seriously big money. Of course, that’s not going to happen, but what our data does reveal is that there’s huge potential for those with LEGO collecting dust to make some fast money.”